Leadership Transition and Next Steps

After nearly five years of leadership, Katy Hamilton will step down as Chief Executive Officer of CWEE. The Board of Directors accepts Katy’s resignation with sadness as well as deep gratitude and appreciation.

Since Katy took on the CEO role in late 2018, there has been tremendous change in the world, as well as in Katy’s life. CWEE’s focus on supporting families extends to our staff, and in line with this organizational value, Katy has made the admirable choice to prioritize her own family at this time.

The Board of Directors has formed a CEO search committee and is leading the process to recruit and hire CWEE’s next leader. Sue Carparelli, who has been serving as CWEE’s Interim CEO since January, has agreed to remain in the interim role, providing continuity through the transition. Though it will be hard to see Katy go, the Board has total confidence that CWEE’s important work will continue with minimal disruption in the capable hands of our committed staff, experienced and trusted interim leader, and focused Board of Directors.

“It has been a joy to serve CWEE and a privilege to collaborate with this team of dedicated professionals, committed to advancing lasting change for our career seekers and their families,” said Katy. “I have long been drawn to CWEE’s mission to foster personal and professional transformation in the lives of low-income families through confidence building, customized career training, and career advancement. It is a mission I feel a deep personal connection to, and I am proud of the progress we’ve made together. Most of all, I am excited to see how CWEE will continue to build on its strong foundation to take the organization to the next level.”

Katy’s tenure as CEO was marked by significant transitions, including the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the complete reordering of every aspect of CWEE’s program and operations. Fortunately, with change comes the opportunity for innovation, and Katy has overseen tremendous progress in establishing CWEE’s Hybrid Program model. CWEE’s new hybrid service delivery model builds on the organization’s 40-year history of providing employment support with new ways to serve career seekers with a more accessible program tailored to individual career goals.

During her tenure, Katy also led the transformative work to make CWEE a learning organization. Evidence-based practices now complement CWEE’s human-centered program design, and data are leveraged at every level of the organization to inform continuous learning and improvement. CWEE utilizes motivational coaching practices across the organization, and at a time when one in two Americans reports feeling isolated, CWEE is significantly expanding mental health services.

Perhaps the achievement that Katy herself is most proud of is her extensive work to ensure that CWEE’s resources are leveraged to support our organization’s most precious asset: our staff. CWEE participant success is built on trust and requires relationships established over time. That means CWEE must be a place where professionals can thrive. CWEE’s new People Team, including our Director of Organizational Wellness, will foster wellness across the organization, recognizing the risks of burnout and compassion fatigue and prioritizing the health and well-being of our team.

As a Board of Directors, we are excited for CWEE’s next leader who will inherit a strong, financially healthy organization with a team focused on the north star of quality employment for our career seekers.

If you have any questions or concerns about the transition, please don’t hesitate to contact Sue Carparelli at interimceo@cwee.org. In the meantime, we will continue to update the CWEE community throughout the leadership transition process.

With appreciation,

Susan Hill, Chair
CWEE Board of Directors